Not long after Lili had oddly asked him out, time resumed. With the contract signed, there wasn’t much else to speak about, and Jolly seemed like she didn’t want to press the issue about the World Crystal. The dryad had lost herself in her thoughts. Her only words had been to tell him to keep the contract safe. Then she teleported all of them back into the city right where they had been, and soon after, she disappeared.

  In the city, things were hectic. Tesilim assumed their time stop had reached the city and had worn off faster at the edges than at the center, where Tesilim and company had been. So, it meant that people were still running around attempting to get to their homes as guards and adventurers flooded the streets to an unprecedented level.

  “You think the mana also disappeared here when the contract drained it all?” Tesilim asked Lili, who was standing next to him, watching the chaos from the spot by Jolly’s Inn.

  “More than likely. Hopefully, Jolly went to make sure things calm down. She is still a follower of Amphis, and no doubt the goddess was partially aware of what was happening.”

  “So, if she is aware, how come the goddess doesn’t tell her followers to relax and stop the panic in the city?” Tesilim asked.

  “The city is large, and only a small portion of the population are actually followers of Amphis; it's just that they hire guards and others sympathetic to their cause. Also, for the most part, the gods tend not to get involved with things outside of what they care about. And more than likely, though, the goddess will vouch for Jolly. She has likely not acted, meaning the people at the top are treating this as an attack,” Lili replied.

  “Huh, are all gods fickle like this?”

  “It honestly depends on what they pursue. Amphis is a nature goddess. She prefers to let nature run its course, only giving some guidance as needed. It’s why she dislikes the Realms so much. They throw everything off with their corruption.”

  “I see, so, are there gods who have a more hands-on approach?”

  “Yes, of course, but always to a limited degree, and rarely by bringing in celestials into the mix. A good example of this is the Novarian Alliance and their pantheon. They are what you consider gods that are very involved with mortal affairs, at least when it comes to defending the planet or opposing so-called “bad gods.”

  “Okay, so what, are celestials the nuclear option?”

  “Nuclear?” Lili asked.

  “World ending, mutual destruction type of thing.”

  “Yes, celestials are not really restricted to dying and can channel their god’s unlimited energy very well. So, they are effective, incredibly strong, and immortal soldiers.”

  “Meaning, they can literally fight until the world comes to an end,” Tesilim stated, getting the picture.

  “Exactly.”

  “So, is there something stopping them? Has the World Crystal set some rules or something?” Tesilim asked, curious as to how the world hadn’t ended yet.

  “Not as far as I am aware. From what I have seen, it is just unspoken agreements. Though they do have a limited number of celestials that they can make, but that number is pretty large, and there are ways to get around it, like half breeds or those who aren’t true celestials.”

  “I am assuming the whole not true celestial bit is for someone who became a celestial instead of being created directly by their god?”

  “You got it,” Lili answered.

  “Hmm, want to head inside until all this fuss passes?” Tesilim asked, finally taking his eyes away from the people running about.

  “Yeah, might as well. By the way, did Jolly unlock your magical item?”

  Hearing that, Tesilim got the seed out and inspected it, finding that it had been fully bound to him, and with a nod to Lili, they headed inside.

  Alyx had been minding his own business studying the cheese elemental when he was interrupted yet again. At the very least, the second time was for something more important than a contract.

  “Hey Alyx, how goes the research?” Alyx heard Jasmine ask sweetly and turned to look as the half-elf and her redhead companion approached.

  Smiling at Jasmine and nodding at Rose, he answered, “It's going. I'm still struggling to understand exactly how it all works. How are you guys?”

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  “We’re good. I just wanted to see if you want to come with us. I need to refill, and I wasn’t sure if you would be interested, as you are clearly immersed in the elemental soul research.”

  Alyx had already figured it was something in that regard since the two ladies were fitted for combat and had quickly agreed. The gnome had been pondering on things to experiment with using the power of the twins and was happy to take a break from researching the cheese elemental.

  It didn’t take long for the trio to head outside of the city and find a good spot where Jasmine could absorb a monster's mana. The half-elf had a few monsters ready to go, and Alyx had also prepared a few, but with a different goal in mind.

  First, he waited for her to absorb the mana from a Mid D Rank wolf, the process going the same as before. The dark mana inside Jasmine’s soul extended through her outstretched hand, invading the body and soul of the monster before sucking out the mana from its soul, killing it in the process. There was no actual physical damage to the body, and it all happened within its soul. The abilities effects too traumatic for the weakened monster to survive.

  After the first monster, Alyx finally intervened. He had gathered a bunch of questions since the last time and had a few experiments he wanted to try out.

  “Hold on, Jasmine, I got some things I want to try out,” Alyx spoke, watching the monster disappear into Jasmine’s ring as its soul headed upwards.

  “You mean, you have things you want her to try out. It's not like it's any risk to yourself,” Rose threw in, clearly, the situation still put her on edge. Not that Alyx was going to retort, Rose obviously valued Jasmine and wanted to protect her, something that was only amplified by the patron she followed. And the last thing Alyx was planning to do was get in between a follower of Sol’s and that which they felt they needed to protect. He knew more than enough history to know that even the less fanatical of their type wouldn’t think twice before burning themselves up for their cause.

  “Rose, relax. I can decide for myself whether I think something might not be worth the risk,” Jasmine added, trying to placate her friend, “Now, Alyx, what is it that you have in mind?”

  In response, Alyx summoned a squirrel from one of his monster rings, and Jasmine immediately frowned.

  “No.”

  “What?” Alyx asked, confused after hearing Jasmine’s refusal.

  “I am not draining that squirrel.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it's just not right, and it's very cute.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes,” Jasmine replied in a tone that told Alyx she wasn’t joking.

  “Ugh, you’re so difficult. It's just a squirrel,” The gnome complained, and only got a shrug from Jasmine.

  “Fine, I guess I will have to find something else. You didn’t have a problem with killing those bunnies, though, so what gives?” The gnome asked as he set the squirrel down and watched it run off.

  “Yeah, but they were fey, trying to corrupt the world. That was just a cute squirrel.”

  “I see, so if I brought you an evil squirrel, you would be good with it?”

  “Probably.”

  “Not that it would work the same, unless, well, never mind, I will test something else instead,” Replied the gnome as he pondered the implications of souls and their varied strengths. He had to think about setting up a proper control group and all that. However, for now, there were other tests to run.

  “So, what exactly do you want me to try next?” Jasmine asked, bringing Alyx from his thoughts.

  “Well, you see, I have been wondering if it's possible for you to trigger the power from afar with your presence,” Alyx stated, and Jasmine’s eyes grew wide like she had a revelation. It seemed that the twins had never considered the possibility.

  It wasn’t long before they had another monster out, this time some sort of scaly creature.

  Jasmine stood not far from the four-legged entity, her Presence out and encompassing the monster. Alyx was also looking at Jasmine with his eyes glowing and his presence stretched out. He was looking to see the result of the experiment they were about to conduct. Finally, Rose was on guard, her gaze flicking back from her two party members and back to the forest, ensuring nothing snuck up on them.

  The experiment began when Jasmine infused her will into her Presence, Alyx doing the same, but only after hers had stabilized. Alyx wasn’t a master at Presences and auras in general, so he wasn’t sure if there would be some sort of effect on her ability due to their energies sharing the same area. Even if he was trying to be non-intrusive, the two wills were technically affecting each other and their area of influence. Still, if there was a problem, they could always try again.

  Not long after their Presences were infused, Jasmine activated her ability, and Alyx watched the mana leave her soul and enter her arm. However, once it reached that point, the progress stopped dead in its tracks.

  “It’s not working. I feel that it wants to leave, but it simply doesn’t have a medium to travel towards the monster,” The half-elf stated.

  “Is it willing to at least travel through your will-infused Presence?” Alyx asked.

  “Yes, it's willing, but it doesn’t have purchase; it's like my will is…” Jasmine went quiet for a bit before speaking up again, “Oh, I get it.”

  Then Alyx felt her Presence and will tighten up into a much smaller area as she condensed it. Not long after this happened, the dark mana found a route and quickly traveled through the new path. Alyx watched as the dark energy traveled across the forest space and entered the monster's body. The energy was neat and collected, but he could feel its need to consume through his Presence.

  After reaching the monster, the rest of the experiment went as it had gone before. The mana overpowered the monster's defenses, entered its soul, and drained it. And, like always, the process was too much for the creature, and it promptly died.

  Once that had been completed, Alyx considered what they should do next. They still had a couple of hours left in the day, and there were a few things he wanted to test out. Sadly, things derailed as Alyx felt the mana all around him disappear almost instantaneously. The other two ladies noticed that as well, and weapons were quickly summoned as they stood back to back.

  “What the hell was that!” Rose shouted.

  “Not sure, but it can’t be good. Any ideas, Alyx?” Jasmine asked.

  “No clue, but it's terrifying and interesting in equal measures,” The gnome answered as he inspected the surroundings with his Presence.

  They stood like that for maybe a minute before Jasmine felt it. The Presence was subtle, but she had felt it before, and her eyes went wide.

  Not long after Jasmine had her realization, everything started slowing down around them as time slowly came to a stop.